Can Kamala Harris’ Cameo on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Swing an Election?

From Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump to Barack Obama, an appearance on Saturday Night Live has become an obligatory whistle-stop for presidential candidates over the past 20 years. Kamala Harris was the latest to join the parade last night, communing with her comedy doppelgänger Maya Rudolph to make one final push for votes in advance of Tuesday’s election.

Looking at one another in the mirror, Harris and “Harris” gave each other words of encouragement during the campaign’s final days. There was a shot at Trump, albeit one that required viewers to have seen the viral video in which the former president had trouble locating a garbage truck door handle. The real Harris winced at Rudolph’s impression: “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?”

“A little bit,” Kamala/Maya conceded.

Then the two shared some cutesy Kamala puns. “Now, Kamala, take my palmala. The American people want to stop the chaos,” said Rudolph.

“And end the dramala,” countered Harris.

“With a cool new stepmomala to kick back in our pajamalas and watch a rom-comala.” 

“Like Legally Blondala.”

“And start decorating for Christmas. Fa la la lala.”

“Because what do we always say? Keep calmala and carry onala.”

Well, at least they kept that part relatively short. The bit ended with Maya/Kamala promising her vote, with the real Harris wishing the comedian was a registered voter in Pennsylvania.

Harris certainly didn’t hurt herself with the appearance. She seemed to be having the time of her life, and if nothing else, gave the impression of a calm and confident candidate heading into the home stretch. But do cameos like last night’s move the needle on Election Day? 

History says probably not. 

Saturday Night Live does have a documented history of influencing voters — but not when politicians stop by to poke fun at themselves. It’s when SNL turns candidates into idiots that elections are potentially swayed. It started right at the beginning with Chevy Chase’s impression of Gerald Ford as a clumsy doofus. Ron Nessen, Ford’s press secretary, tried hosting SNL to regain control of the narrative, but the show only took more shots. William Horner, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, studied the race and concluded, “Chase's impersonation of a bumbling Ford influenced the outcome of the election.”

George H.W. Bush was a heavy favorite against Bill Clinton in 1992, but Dana Carvey’s babbling impression didn’t help as Bush lost a huge lead. The impersonation was “a collection of tics and mannerisms that overshadowed the real figure,” wrote Rolling Stone. “It eventually became the de facto way millions of people saw the leader of the free world.” 

As for Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin? People were rushing to Snopes to see if what Fey said actually came out of the mouth of the real candidate. After the 2008 election, a FirstView poll found that 10 percent of voters said they were influenced by SNL’s political sketches. People who had seen the sketches voted for Obama over John McCain by a nearly 60/40 split. 

On the flip side, it’s tough to find presidential candidates that SNL lifted. Hillary Clinton stopped by to interact with Kate McKinnon’s fawning impression, and we know how that turned out. Some criticized Lorne Michaels for “normalizing” Donald Trump when he hosted the show in 2015, but no pundits have said Trump dancing to Hotline Bling is why he won the election.

That’s why Harris’ SNL cameo is unlikely to make a ripple on Tuesday. But at least she handled it with aplombala.